What to Do If You Want to Try Fencing

You want to learn how to fence. Not a lot of people are interested in learning the sport but maybe you were one of the viewers who tuned in to the Olympics and was inclined to try it out for yourself. It doesn’t matter how old you are at this point because fencing is a sport for all ages. Everyone starts from nothing and you may start from the very basics even though you’re already of old age. You might be asking yourself now if fencing is the right sport for you. You might think you’re already too old to start the sport. Or if your height is adequate for fencing. You might be questioning your level of athleticism. You might have grown as an awkward kid and feel that you don’t have good body coordination for the sport. Is fencing right for you then? Well, you are looking at the right sport because fencing is very flexible and accepting of anyone. Regardless of your fitness level or physical characteristics, you can try fencing and be good at it. There are even fencing competitions for people in wheelchairs, empowering even the disabled.

Of course, there are advantages to people who have certain physical traits. If you are tall, it will be easy for you to excel in this sport. If you are athletic and physically fit, you might have a leg up in fencing. But as with any other sport, you will excel in fencing if you give it the time, commitment, and effort to be better and learn the techniques until you master them. Mastery of skills includes knowing how to compete against fencers who are either tall or short, slow or fast, strong or weak, etc. All of these apply if your goal is to enjoy fencing as a physical activity, as a sport. But if your main goal is to join the Olympics at some point, then you need to train so that you’ll be physically fit for the competition. So what do you do first? Look for a fencing club to become a member of. You could simply hit the Search bar in your browsing engine to locate the fencing club nearest you or a fencing club that appeals to you. Afterward, contact them and ask for all the information that you want to know. You could take a look at their social media pages or their websites where their history, photos, schedule, mission, and vision are available for you to consume. Take note that some of these clubs have satellite locations that are not placed on the club list. They might be offering classes at local recreation centers that are near your place of residence or work. You can always ask other fencers what their favorite clubs are. If you don’t know any fencers, scour through discussion forums or Facebook communities to find them and make friends even before you meet. The sport caters to a very niche group so the community is very much close, supportive, and welcoming of a newbie. They will most likely be enthusiastic to welcome you to the sport and guide you by giving some helpful pointers. But because it’s not that big of a sport, you may also find it difficult to look for a local club. It will probably entail you to commute or drive to a big city near you because that’s most likely where a fencing club would be located. So let’s say you’ve already found the club you’re going to join. Congratulations! Drop them a line right away and ask how their beginner class is crafted. We’re quite confident that almost all fencing clubs would have a class dedicated to beginners but these may have different looks. Ask if their beginner classes are occasional or are it something offered regularly. Ask how many classes will there be, and how long will the training run. It’s also important to know if they will be providing the equipment. Since you are new to the sport, you most likely don’t have or don’t want to invest just yet in fencing equipment so ask if that will be provided for and if it is already included with the class fee. If you need to have your own gear, there are many options available online so you could make purchases even without leaving home. You would want to prolong the life of the gear you’ll be buying by making sure there is space in your garage to store them. Organize your garage with smart storage solutions such as overhead storage racks and wall shelves from FlexiMounts so that there is ample space for your many hobbies. You may keep your fencing gear in it as well. Take note as well of what will happen after you finish your class. We can almost guarantee that you’d love it and you’d want to take it a step further after you finish your beginner classes. Ask as early as now what options they offer after the beginner level. And lastly, take into consideration as well the weapon that the club has a specialty for. Clubs have different areas of focus with some only teaching one out of the three weapons that you could use in fencing. Since you’re a beginner, this isn’t that big of a problem but in the long run, you would find yourself wanting to try the other weapons. To know your next course of action, it will help that you know what opportunities are available for you. There are also clubs that are focused on joining competitions. You might want to get into fencing just for the fun of it so look for a club that doesn’t dwell that much on contests. But if you want to be a competitive fencer, then knowing where your club excels at would be one of your competitive advantages. After contacting your fencing club and knowing what you need, all you have to do is to show up to your first class. Don’t be shy to tell everyone that you are a beginner so they know what to expect and what skills they would teach you for you to meet your goals in fencing.